crabby

adjective

crab·​by ˈkra-bē How to pronounce crabby (audio)
crabbier; crabbiest
informal
: easily irritated : peevish and irritable : grouchy
a crabby recluse
He gets crabby if he doesn't have his morning coffee.
She was in a crabby mood and got a certain amount of satisfaction out of pushing her sister's buttons.Isis Crawford
crabbiness noun
… the waiters have shed Stalinist crabbiness in favor of Parisian-style contempt for the customer. Kati Marton

Examples of crabby in a Sentence

She gets crabby if she doesn't get enough sleep. a crabby old dog who snapped at passersby
Recent Examples on the Web Come the crash of 2008, David’s leisure-world empire collapses, and Abraham’s patriarchal mien and tolerance turn to crabby solitude with the prospect of unloading their dream for pennies on the dollar. Gordon Cox, Variety, 2 Aug. 2024 Hailee Steinfeld plays the crabby, impatient, and judgmental high schooler Nadine. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 July 2024 One crabby older professor in particular, Devoto (Silvio Orlando), mostly ignores her looks but is taken with her ideas. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 May 2024 Mannequin on Main, 113 S. Main St., Bel Air Who could be crabby wearing these ceramic earrings? Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for crabby 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crabby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

crab entry 4

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crabby was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near crabby

Cite this Entry

“Crabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crabby. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

crabby

adjective
crab·​by ˈkrab-ē How to pronounce crabby (audio)
crabbier; crabbiest
informal
: easily irritated

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